6 Tips for Creating an Effective Survey
As marketers, we see lots of benchmark data and statistics that we base our business decisions on.
At MarketingSherpa, we recently conducted a nine-month study on the state of ecommerce.
You’ll see the results of our research conducted with 4,346 marketers across 95 in-depth charts.
Obviously, this data didn’t come out of thin air. There was a survey that our MECLABS research team carefully constructed to gather those insights.
Crafting effective surveys is potentially the most important part of collecting useful data, whether you’re fielding research for a report or simply gaining customer feedback.
Diana Sindicich, Senior Manager, Data Sciences, MECLABS (parent company of MarketingSherpa), played an integral part in the MarketingSherpa Ecommerce Benchmark Study and provided some tips on how to produce the most effective survey for your needs.
Survey Tip #1. Evaluate your situation
There’s a good time, and a not-so-good time, for everything. This rule of life applies to surveys as well.
In surveys, situations may exist for you that make it a good idea to field a survey, Diana explained.
This could include scenarios of when you want to understand your customers’ motivations or characteristics. Maybe you’re looking to expand your product lines and want to know what your customers would like to see offered.
On the other hand, there are times when a survey may not be the best idea for what you want to accomplish. Perhaps you have a very personalized service with a small group of customers. Surveys can be perceived as impersonal — conversely, an interview would make the customer feel special and valued.